Dan Henderson-Lyoto Machida Official for UFC 157 Co-Main Event

The booking was previously reported last month, but the fight only
became official on Thursday. UFC 157 takes place Feb. 23 at the
Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and is headlined by Ronda
Rousey’s first defense of her new
UFC women’s bantamweight championship against former
Strikeforce title contender Liz
Carmouche. The event will also showcase a 135-pound rematch
pitting former WEC featherweight king Urijah Faber
against 10-year veteran Ivan
Menjivar.

At 42, Henderson has done just about everything in the sport of
mixed martial arts, save for winning a UFC world title. The former
two-division Pride Fighting Championships belt holder rejoined the
UFC last year after fighting four times under the Strikeforce
banner, winning that promotion’s light heavyweight strap in March
2011.

Henderson’s Octagon return was a successful one, as “Hendo” took a
unanimous decision from former champion Mauricio Rua
at UFC 139. The veteran was then supposed to challenge reigning
champ Jon
Jones at UFC 151, but a knee injury ultimately derailed that
plan.

Eight years younger than his foe, Machida enters the cage coming
off a gorgeous knockout of Ryan Bader this
past August at UFC on Fox 4. The victory followed a second-round
submission defeat to Jones one year ago at UFC 140, as “The Dragon”
was choked unconscious with a standing guillotine choke. Following
Henderson’s withdrawal and the subsequent cancellation of UFC 151,
Machida was then offered a short-notice rematch with “Bones” at UFC
152, which the Brazilian declined on the grounds that he needed a
full training camp to prepare for his next meeting with the
champion.